Biography
Barton MacLane graduated from Wesleyan University, where he displayed a notable aptitude for sports, in particular football and basketball. Not surprisingly, his physical prowess led to an early role in The Quarterback (1926) with Richard Dix. MacLane once commented that, as an actor, he needed to have the physical strength to tear the bad guys "from limb to limb", if necessary. Ironically, it was usually Barton himself who was destined to be at the end of a hiding (when not getting shot, instead), typically as snarling henchmen, outlaws and other assorted dubious or abrasive types throughout most of his 40-year acting career. In fact, Barton became so typecast that his name was for a time used proverbially, to generally describe a shouting, hard-nosed ruffian.
After training at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, MacLane joined a stock company in Brooklyn. In 1927 he had his first part on Broadway, a brief moment as an assistant district attorney, in the melodrama "The Trial of Mary Dugan". He then played a small featured role as a police officer in "Subway Express" (1929-30), a drama enacted in the interior of a subway car. In mid-1932 MacLane tried his hand at writing his own starring vehicle for the stage, entitled "Rendezvous". While the play closed after just 21 performances, it led to a contract with Warner Brothers.
Barton had already appeared in bit roles for Paramount at their Astoria Studios, including The Marx Brothers' debut film The Cocoanuts (1929). He portrayed mobster Brad Collins in 'G' Men (1935) (with James Cagney), which set the tone for most of his future assignments. Brawny, with squinty eyes and a rasping voice, MacLane was the ideal surly tough guy, particularly suitable for westerns and the type of films noir Warner Brothers excelled at. He was often cast as cops, be they bent or honest. Some of his most representative performances include gangster Al Kruger in Bullets or Ballots (1936), which won him some of the best critical notices of his career; outlaw Jack Slade in Western Union (1941); crooked construction boss Pat McCormick, who gets beaten up by Humphrey Bogart and Tim Holt over past-due wages in The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948); hard-nosed cops Detective Dundy in The Maltese Falcon (1941) and Lt. Reece in Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye (1950). MacLane, on loan to Universal, also had a starring role in Prison Break (1938) as an innocent tuna fisherman who is framed for murder. He was prominent as a tough but sympathetic cop, foil to sleuthing girl reporter Glenda Farrell in the "Torchy Blaine" series of the mid- to late 1930s. In the 1960s Barton began to cultivate a good-guy image as Marshal Frank Caine in the NBC western series Outlaws (1960) as well as showing up in a small recurring role as Air Force Gen. Martin Peterson in I Dream of Jeannie (1965).
Barton was married to the actress Charlotte Wynters, who appeared with him in six of his films. When not on the set, the couple spent time on their 2000-acre cattle ranch in Madera County, California.
For his work in television, Barton has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Filmography
all 176
Movies 156
TV Shows 20
self 6
Bogart: The Untold Story (1997)
Hollywood Out-takes and Rare Footage (1983)
It's Showtime (1976)
Buckskin (1968)
Arizona Bushwhackers (1968)
The Mummy's Ghost (1968)
I Dream of Jeannie (1965)
Town Tamer (1965)
The Rounders (1965)
Law of the Lawless (1964)
Pocketful of Miracles (1961)
Outlaws (1960)
Noose for a Gunman (1960)
Gunfighters of Abilene (1960)
Black Saddle (1959)
The Geisha Boy (1958)
Frontier Gun (1958)
Girl on the Run (1958)
Perry Mason (1957)
Sierra Stranger (1957)
Hell's Crossroads (1957)
Naked Gun (1956)
The Man Is Armed (1956)
Wire Service (1956)
Wetbacks (1956)
Backlash (1956)
Jaguar (1956)
Last of the Desperados (1955)
Jail Busters (1955)
Gunsmoke (1955)
Foxfire (1955)
The Silver Star (1955)
Treasure of Ruby Hills (1955)
Hell's Outpost (1954)
Jubilee Trail (1954)
Rails Into Laramie (1954)
The Glenn Miller Story (1954)
Jack Slade (1953)
Sea of Lost Ships (1953)
Captain Scarface (1953)
Cow Country (1953)
Kansas Pacific (1953)
Thunderbirds (1952)
Four Star Playhouse (1952)
The Half-Breed (1952)
Bugles in the Afternoon (1952)
Schlitz Playhouse of Stars (1951)
Drums in the Deep South (1951)
The Bandit Queen (1950)
Let's Dance (1950)
Lux Video Theatre (1950)
Rookie Fireman (1950)
Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye (1950)
Red Light (1949)
The Walls of Jericho (1948)
Angel in Exile (1948)
Unknown Island (1948)
Relentless (1948)
The Dude Goes West (1948)
Silver River (1948)
The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948)
Jungle Flight (1947)
Cheyenne (1947)
San Quentin (1946)
Santa Fe Uprising (1946)
Mysterious Intruder (1946)
The Spanish Main (1945)
Scared Stiff (1945)
Tarzan and the Amazons (1945)
Gentle Annie (1944)
Cry of the Werewolf (1944)
Secret Command (1944)
Marine Raiders (1944)
The Mummy's Ghost (1944)
Nabonga (1944)
The Crime Doctor’s Strangest Case (1943)
The Underdog (1943)
Song of Texas (1943)
Bombardier (1943)
Man of Courage (1943)
Highways by Night (1942)
The Big Street (1942)
All Through the Night (1942)
The Maltese Falcon (1941)
Wild Geese Calling (1941)
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1941)
Manpower (1941)
Hit the Road (1941)
Barnacle Bill (1941)
Western Union (1941)
Come Live with Me (1941)
High Sierra (1941)
Melody Ranch (1940)
The Secret Seven (1940)
Men Without Souls (1940)
Gangs of Chicago (1940)
Breakdowns of 1939 (1939)
Mutiny in the Big House (1939)
Torchy Runs for Mayor (1939)
Big Town Czar (1939)
I Was a Convict (1939)
Torchy Blane in Chinatown (1939)
Torchy Gets Her Man (1938)
The Storm (1938)
Prison Break (1938)
You and Me (1938)
The Kid Comes Back (1938)
Gold Is Where You Find It (1938)
Blondes at Work (1938)
The Adventurous Blonde (1937)
Wine, Women and Horses (1937)
Ever Since Eve (1937)
Born Reckless (1937)
Fly Away Baby (1937)
San Quentin (1937)
Draegerman Courage (1937)
The Prince and the Pauper (1937)
You Only Live Once (1937)
Smart Blonde (1937)
Jailbreak (1936)
Bengal Tiger (1936)
Bullets or Ballots (1936)
Ceiling Zero (1936)
A Dream Comes True (1935)
Man of Iron (1935)
Frisco Kid (1935)
I Found Stella Parish (1935)
Dr. Socrates (1935)
The Case of the Lucky Legs (1935)
Page Miss Glory (1935)
Stranded (1935)
'G' Men (1935)
Go Into Your Dance (1935)
The Case of the Curious Bride (1935)
The Last Round-up (1934)
All of Me (1934)
Hell and High Water (1933)
Lone Cowboy (1933)
Big Executive (1933)
Tillie and Gus (1933)
To the Last Man (1933)
Man of the Forest (1933)
Your Hat (1932)
Naughty-Cal (1932)
His Woman (1931)
The Gigolo Racket (1931)
Crimes Square (1931)
Politics (1930)
The Quarterback (1926)
Gallery
Information
Known ForActing
GenderMale
Birthday1902-12-25
Deathday1969-01-01 (66 years old)
Birth PlaceColumbia, South Carolina, USA
CitizenshipsUnited States of America
Also Known AsErnest Barton MacLane, Barton Mac Lane, Barton Maclane, Barton McLane, Бартон Маклейн
Awardsstar on Hollywood Walk of Fame
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